25th May 2021Deadline reminder: all you need to know about SEISS 4

The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant has helped millions of self-employed people across the UK whose business and income has been affected by the pandemic.

There have been three rounds of payments so far, with the deadline to make a claim for the fourth grant to be made on or before 1 June 2021. But how can you claim, and are you eligible?

SEISS 4 explained

A fourth SEISS grant is available through the government’s website and covers 1 February 2021 to 30 April 2021.

The grant is calculated at 80% of 3 months’ average trading profits. It will be paid in a single instalment and capped at £7,500. How much you receive depends on your average trading profits.

Who can claim?

To be eligible for the fourth grant you must be a self-employed individual or a member of a partnership. You cannot claim the grant if you trade through a limited company or a trust. In addition, you must have traded in both tax years: 2019 to 2020 and submitted your tax return on or before 2 March 2021.

How to apply

You will need:

• Self-Assessment Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)
• National Insurance number
• Government Gateway user ID and password
• UK bank details including account number, sort code, name on the account and address linked to the account
• Only provide bank account details where a Bacs payment can be accepted

You may also need to answer questions about your passport, driving licence or information held on your credit file.

Watch-outs

1. The grant is subject to Income Tax and self-employed National Insurance Contributions, and it must be reported on your 2021 to 2022 Self-Assessment tax return
2. Claimants must have been impacted by reduced activity, capacity and demand, or have been trading previously and temporarily unable to do so
3. You must make the claim yourself. A tax agent or adviser cannot claim on your behalf as this will trigger a fraud alert, which will delay your payment.

With so much information out there, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest advice. To keep up to date on latest developments, please get in touch to discuss and we would be happy to help – our partners are here to support you through these challenging times.

These details are in accordance with Government guidelines as of 25 May 2021.